Teemu Selänne finally makes it to the Stanley Cup final

First encounter with Ottawa Senators beckons next Monday

Teemu Selänne

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After nearly fifteen years in the NHL, Anaheim Ducks winger Teemu Selänne has finally realised a long-held ambition: he and his team-mates will have a shot at getting their hands on the coveted Stanley Cup trophy when Anaheim meet the Ottawa Senators in the final.
      Anaheim progressed at the expense of the Detroit Red Wings, winning the best-of-seven series by four matches to two. The final game of an edgy series went 4-3 to Anaheim.
      The 36-year-old Selänne, nicknamed "The Finnish Flash", has put on his skates for several teams during his time in the NHL. After playing in Finland for Jokerit of Helsinki, he was originally drafted by the Winnipeg Jets, and in his rookie season he took the league by storm, scoring 76 goals, an NHL first-season record that still stands.
     
In 1996 Selänne was traded to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim as Winnipeg struggled with financial problems. In 2001 he was on the move again, going across state to the San Jose Sharks. After two more seasons in California, he signed with the Colorado Avalanche as a free agent.
      Injury problems with his knee hampered his career for a while, but he rejoined the renamed Anaheim Ducks in August 2005, and during the past two seasons he has been back to something like his old goal-scoring form, with 48 goals and 82 points in the regular 2006-2007 season.
     
Selänne has played over 1,000 NHL matches, putting him third in the all-time Finnish lists behind Teppo Numminen (the #1 European player in games played, still active with the Buffalo Sabres, who made it to the last four in this year's Stanley Cup playoffs) and Jari Kurri (now retired and a member of the Finnish national side's management team).


Links:
  Teemu Selänne (Wikipedia)
  Anaheim Ducks

Helsingin Sanomat